Everland, Korea's First World 'Best Rose Garden' Selection

World Rose Society Wins 'Award of Garden Excellence'
Recognition for Popularizing Roses... Following Last Year's Top Prize at International Competition

Choi Dong-seok, a member of the Korean Rose Society (far left), receiving the 'Award of Garden Excellence' on behalf and posing for a commemorative photo with Anne-Lianne Debrie, President of the World Rose Society (second from left), and others. (Photo by Samsung C&T Resort Division)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Samsung C&T Resort Division announced on the 8th that Everland Rose Garden has been selected as the first in Korea for the 'Award of Garden Excellence' by the World Federation of Rose Societies.

This achievement follows last month's recognition of Everland's K-rose 'Perfume Everscape' as the best rose at the Gifu International Rose Competition in Japan.

The award ceremony was held as the main event of the World Rose Convention, which takes place every three years. This year, it was held in Adelaide, Australia. Everland Rose Garden stood shoulder to shoulder with nine other rose gardens, including the Zweibr?cken Rose Garden in Germany and the Munsbach Castle Rose Garden in Luxembourg. An Everland official stated, "This award is a recognition of the popularization of roses, the efforts and skills of experts, and our ability to communicate with customers."

Everland introduced a rose garden with 122 varieties and about 3,500 rose bushes when the Natural Farm opened in 1976. Since 1985, it has continuously held the Rose Festival, which became the pioneer of flower festivals in Korea. This festival sparked the beginning of over 70 flower festivals nationwide. This year, the Rose Festival expanded to 720 varieties and 3 million blooms. Over 37 years, the festival has showcased about 70 million roses. The cumulative number of visitors has exceeded 60 million.

'Perfume Everscape', winner of the top prize at the International Rose Competition on Climate. (Photo by Samsung C&T Resort Division)

Along with its long history, the efforts and skills of numerous rose experts (Rosarians) are deeply embedded in the rose garden. Although the decision to develop the rose garden was based on a survey showing that roses were the most popular flower among the public at the time of its opening in 1976, the Yongin area was not suitable for rose cultivation. Therefore, Everland dug the soil to a depth of 1.5 meters and replaced it with different soil to plant the roses, carefully managing each bush by wrapping them in straw to prevent freezing in the cold climate.

More than 5,000 people have been involved in the Everland Rose Garden over the years. With over 40 years of know-how and scientific data analysis, the condition of the roses is checked daily, managing them by variety and season, and preventing pests and diseases. Since 2013, Everland has conducted over 15,000 breeding experiments to develop new garden rose varieties suitable for Everland, resulting in a total of 28 new rose varieties to date. As a result, 'Garden Everscape' won a silver award at last year's Gifu World Rose Competition, followed by 'Perfume Everscape' being selected as the best rose this year.

Customer communication has also contributed to the development of the Everland Rose Garden. The garden design has been upgraded to meet customer demands, enhancing spatial arrangements. Boxwood fences were removed to allow visitors to appreciate the roses up close, and rose walks were installed between rose gardens. Considering the strong fragrance of roses in the morning, development of new rose varieties for afternoon visitors was also initiated.

Ha Hosu, the professional in charge of Everland Rose Garden and new rose variety development, said, "It is a great honor that our self-developed roses have won top awards at international competitions and that Everland Rose Garden has been selected for the 'Award of Garden Excellence.' We will strive to develop even better new varieties and beautifully maintain the rose garden to provide enjoyable experiences for our customers."

Meanwhile, since May, Everland has launched the 'Florevida' brand using the fragrance of its self-developed roses. It offers 20 types of products including body care, hair care, and hand care.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.